KSHE jocks share memories of 50 amazing years of radio

ST. LOUIS, MO — In this day and age of media, radio stations seems to switch formats every few years. But one station in St. Louis has stood the test of time. KSHE 95 is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. In fact, the 50th Birthday is on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. It’s a big celebrations for the jocks, the musicians, and of course, the fans.

Not only has the format remained consistent, but some of the DJ’s have also logged decades at the station located near Union Station. Mark Klose began at KSHE in 1972, after “begging” for a job. Klose says he lived near the station and walked by it all the time, so one day he decided to stop in and ask for a job. “I came in and they're like, 'do you have any experience' and I said “No!” But it took more than one “No” to keep Klose away. “So I came 6 days in a row and just kept bugging them and they finally hired me.”

Klose says it never really felt like a job. From the great music, to the musicians who would show up at the station, every day was something new. “(John Ulett) and I would DJ at weddings and everyone in attendance would have on a KSHE shirt!” he says. “People would go away to college, they'd get drafted, they'd leave, come back 10 years later, and they knew the one constant in St. Louis, was KSHE radio.

John (U-man) Ulett also started at KSHE decades ago. In fact, this marks his 41st year on the air at the station. “When I first started here at KSHE, you played anything you wanted.” He says some of his best memories are when you would sit down in the DJ chair and just play the music you loved. “I think this is one reason the fans connected with us because they got to know us as (radio personalities), while also getting to see the music we liked.”

Favazz says he has been a fan of KSHE as long as he can remember. “I started listening when I was 12,” he says, “and at some point figured this is what I want to do and this is where I want to work.” It was his first real job and he has been there ever since, 26 years. He calls working at KSHE the golden handcuffs. “Once you get here, why would you want to go anywhere else?”

Now, as the staff approaches 50 Years of Real Rock Radio, it’s almost surreal to everyone who has had a part of the station’s success. “Nobody can believe it,” Ulett says. “We`ve talked with people in the industry, and you tell them the station is 50 years old playing the music we are playing, and they can`t believe it.”

All the radio personalities associated with KSHE do say it’s one thing that keeps this station rocking along, it’s the fans. “They can tell you when I was doing morning and (Ulett) came on to do my news, when Favazz came on board; they know the history of this history of this radio station, kinda better than we do.”

Favazz sums it up this way. “We just try to be ourselves and that`s what the listeners want.”

“You have to give credit to our listeners,” Ulett adds. “They've just grown up with the radio station, they are dedicated to the station, they know just about everything about the station, and they want the station to succeed, they want it to succeed just as much as we do.

For more information on the Legendary 50 years of KSHE, <a href="http://www.kshe95.com/museum​">here are more articles you will want to check out</a>.